Virtual interviewing with marginalized young adult mothers: appreciating the New Norm

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE

Virtual interviewing in qualitative research may promote inclusion, diversify samples, and maximize participation, but there is limited research regarding methodological best practices for marginalized study populations. Emerging adult (ages 18-29) and young adult (through age 40) mothers have ongoing stressors and competing responsibilities that may preclude participation with in-person interviews. The purpose of this article is to describe the processes and experiences of virtual interviewing among young adult mothers living in under-resourced communities, based on their responses to specific interview questions.

DESIGN AND SAMPLE

As part of an explanatory sequential mixed methods study, qualitative interviews were conducted with a sample of young adult mothers who had previously participated in randomized controlled trials testing an intensive early home visiting intervention. Thirty-one participants (M = 29.7 years, SD = 2.5) who identified as Black (39%), Hispanic (55%), and White (7%), were interviewed using Zoom.

RESULTS

The overarching theme was Zoom: Appreciating the New Norm. Identified categories were Practical Benefits of Virtual Interviewing, Sharing Stories, and Drawbacks of Virtual Interviewing.

CONCLUSION

Findings support virtual interviewing as a feasible and potentially ideal method for qualitative studies with emerging/young adults. Further research to examine this approach with other marginalized populations may lead to more inclusive representation in qualitative research.

The adult in the room: The push and pull of parental involvement in research with children

Parental involvement in research where children are the primary study participants is frequent but under-analyzed. To understand such dynamics in research with children, we examined children's (ages 8-14) interactions with parents who came in and out of view during our virtual interviews in our study, Photographing Health by Rural Adolescents in the MidwEst (PHRAME). We identified the pull and push of this adult involvement-a choreography in which children were active participants. Our analysis demonstrates that such interactions provide important data about how children navigated power dynamics, and also offer integral insights on how they were doing health and care.

An Assessment of Pediatric Residency Applicant Perceptions of "Fit" During the Virtual Interview Era

PURPOSE

Residency recruitment events and interviews are widely considered an integral component of the residency match experience. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, residency recruitment and interviewing throughout the 2020-2021 academic year were performed virtually, which created challenges for applicants' ability to discern "fit" to a program. Given this change, it is reasonable to suspect that applicants would be less able to discern program fit. Therefore, this study evaluated how virtual interviews impacted pediatric residency applicants' ability to assess factors contributing to fit and subsequently how applicants assessed their self-perceived fit to their top-ranked programs.

METHODS

An online, anonymous survey was distributed to all residency applicants who applied to any specialty at our large academic institution. The survey utilized a 5-point Likert-type scale to evaluate qualities of fit as well as the applicants' self-perceived ability to assess these qualities through a virtual platform.

RESULTS

1,840 surveys were distributed, of which 473 residency applicants responded (25.7% response rate). Among these responses, 81 were pediatric applicants (27.6%). Factors deemed most important in determining fit included how well the residents get along with one another (98.8%), how much the program appeared to care about its trainees (97.5%), and how satisfied residents were with their program (97.5%). Qualities deemed most difficult for applicants to discern included the quality of facilities (18.6%), patient diversity (29.4%), and how well the residents got along with one another (30.2%). When compared to all other residency applicants, pediatric applicants placed more value on whether a program was family-friendly (p = 0.015), the quality of the facilities (p = 0.009), and the on-call system (p = 0.038).

CONCLUSION

This study highlights factors that influence pediatric applicants' perception of fit into a program. Unfortunately, many factors deemed most important for pediatric applicants were also among the most difficult to assess virtually. These include resident camaraderie, whether a program cares about its residents, and overall resident satisfaction. Taken together, these findings and the recommendations presented should be considered by all residency program leaders to ensure the successful recruitment of a pediatric residency class.

Maternal-fetal medicine fellowship program director perspective on virtual interviews following matriculation of the first virtual interview class

BACKGROUND

The first class of virtually interviewed maternal-fetal medicine fellows has matriculated into their training programs.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to evaluate the impact of virtual interviews on the outcomes of the National Resident Matching Program within our subspecialty. We assessed maternal-fetal medicine fellowship program directors' experience with their fellows who interviewed virtually as compared with experience with the previous year's fellows who interviewed in-person. In addition, we evaluated program directors' satisfaction with the virtual interview process and their preferred mode of interviewing for future cycles.

STUDY DESIGN

A cross-sectional online survey was distributed through the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine to all maternal-fetal medicine fellowship program directors on October 26, 2021, approximately 4 months after the first virtually interviewed fellow matriculated into the training program. Program directors were asked to provide information about their National Resident Matching Program rank list between their final in-person and first virtual years. Program directors were asked to evaluate their experience with their fellow 4 months into the first year of fellowship compared with their expectations based on their virtual interview, and their experience at that same point in fellowship of their last fellow who interviewed in-person. For all questions, in programs with >1 fellow per year, program directors were asked to answer the questions for the fellow ranked highest on their National Resident Matching Program rank list for each year. Survey data were collected anonymously and stored securely. Descriptive statistics and bivariate analyses were performed to compare groups, all tests were 2-sided, and the significance level was set at P<.05.

RESULTS

A total of 80 of 98 (81.6%) program directors responded. There was no difference in the position of the matched fellow on the program's National Resident Matching Program rank list between candidates interviewed in-person and candidates interviewed virtually. There was also no difference in the number of programs that took an internal or external candidate outside of the National Resident Matching Program match process or that did not fill their fellowship positions. Program directors reported no difference between fellows interviewed virtually and those interviewed in-person in meeting interview-based performance expectations with regard to clinical capabilities (P=.67), technical skills (P=.96), research potential or experience (P=.54), professionalism and ability to be a team player (P=.72), and compatibility with the division and fellowship program (P=.67). Program directors' overall experience with virtual interviews was favorable: 70 (95.8%) program directors reported that the virtual interview experience was better than expected, slightly better than expected, or as expected. In future years, most program directors favored ongoing exclusively virtual interviewing (n=41; 56.2%) or a hybrid of virtual and in-person interviews (n=27; 37.0%). Only 5 (6.9%) reported a desire to return to exclusively in-person interviewing.

CONCLUSION

Maternal-fetal medicine fellowship program directors did not identify a difference in National Resident Matching Program results between fellows interviewed virtually and those interviewed in-person. Furthermore, there was no difference between these fellows in meeting interview-based expectations in the first year of the training program. Most program directors found the virtual interview process to be effective and support ongoing virtual interviews.

Virtual Interviewing Tips for the Otolaryngology Match Cycle During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Virtual interviews are planned for the upcoming 2020-2021 residency cycle. This presents a unique challenge for medical students. Due to the importance of the interaction of applicants and interviewers during the interview, medical students should thoroughly prepare for the upcoming virtual interview season. We offer practical and realistic concepts and techniques to optimize their interview experience. Technology and audiovisual equipment should be adjusted and enhanced to minimize video conferencing application errors and interview downtime. The applicant’s interview environment should focus on proper lighting, background, camera angles, and minimizing unwanted distractions. Mock interview sessions are invaluable to applicants and provide the opportunity to simulate the interview, refine their technology, adjust their environment, and become more comfortable in a virtual interview setting. These actions will prevent unnecessary disruptions and increase the focus of the interview toward the communication between the applicant and the interviewer.